I have been fat my whole life. Seriously. My. Whole. Life. I carried “baby fat” around for about 20 years before my mom finally conceded to the fact that I was just fat. I actually had a cousin who called me “Fat Girl” like that was my name. In all fairness, he was fat too and I called him “Fat Boy” but I digress…
I could complain A LOT about how difficult it is to be fat in today’s society but it really is my own fault. I don’t like to exercise. I don’t have the greatest eating habits. I snack a lot. My life is sedentary. I talk for a living. My hobbies are couch-related. I have settled very comfortably into being fat but it’s not fun. Fat takes a toll on one’s body and I’ve been fortunate so far. I haven’t developed some of the more life-threatening, obesity-related health concerns…yet.
I have dieted, sometimes quite successfully. If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know about my tremendous success with the Jenny Craig program…twice…which lasted for the duration of my involvement with the program. I’ve done Weight Watcher’s, HCG, cabbage soup, Atkin’s, low carb, carb-lover’s, you name it – I’ve done it. I’ve also been a dues-paying member of pretty much every gym in the northeast Ohio area. And, yet, I’m still fat. Technically, I am obese. I have, at times, been “morbidly obese.” That’s got to stop.
Recently, I, once again, began weighing my options, no pun intended. I turned to research and books, as I usually do. What I read was that people who have been as fat as I have been for as long as I have been have only a 2% chance of losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off. Boy, don’t I know that to be true! More and more, I read about the tremendous success of weight loss surgery. With weight loss surgery, people who have been as fat as I have been for as long as I have been have a 60% chance of losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off. Hmmm… I like those odds…
In late April, I contacted the Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Institute to learn more about surgical options. It took FOREVER to have my file reviewed by the nursing staff. I had to call twice and check the status of my request. Finally, I received a list of appointments to begin the evaluation process. The journey began on July 12. On October 15, I was finally cleared and approved for surgery by the Clinic. Today, I received approval from Medical Mutual, my health insurance provider. I have scheduled a Sleeve Gastrectomy for December 19, 2012. This is not the lap-band. It is not the gastric bypass. Google it.
Most people have an opinion about weight loss surgery. Some people think the risks are not worth it. Others think it’s the “easy way out.” I’m an intelligent person. I do my research. To me, the benefits of this surgery far outweigh (hee hee) the risks of continuing to be fat. The surgery is much less risky than some other crazy things people do to lose weight – things that I have done to try to lose weight. I am now and will continue to be under the care of one of the best doctors in the world, and his team, as I go through this process. Additionally, this is definitely not going to be easy. Even getting this far hasn’t been easy.
I will need supportive, positive people around me through my recovery and as I make the necessary lifestyle changes in the months to come. Please feel free to follow my journey if you can be one of those people.
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